Top 5 GNOME extensions to make your workflow easier

Custom Hot Corners – Extended

If you like to give your desktop some added functionality, this little gem of an extension is quite brilliant. What sets this apart from either the built-in hot corner feature or other hot corner extensions is that it extends the functionality of each hot corner such that you get the addition of a Ctrl+Hot Corner action.

With this, each hot corner can have two actions — one with and without pressing the CTRL key. For example, I set a Hot Corner action for the bottom left to take me to the next Workspace. I also set a Hot Corner+CTRL action to take me to the previous workspace. So I can hit the bottom left hot corner to move me down a workspace and then hold the control key and hit the bottom left hot corner to move me up a workspace. If workspaces are your jam, you need this extension. You can use this extension to set hot corners for a vast number of actions.

Places Status Indicator

If you find yourself always opening the GNOME file manager to various locations, you might find the Places Status Indicator very handy. With this extension installed, you’ll find a new menu option in the upper left corner, named Places. Click on that entry and a drop-down will appear that includes every location added to the GNOME Files left sidebar. With this extension, you get quick access to all of the directories you frequently visit, such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, Computer, and even your various mounted drives and file manager bookmarks.

Clipboard Indicator

I depend on my clipboard. Throughout my day, I’m copying and pasting to and from different documents and forms. Because of that, I need access to not just what I last copied, but any number of items from my clipboard history.

For that, I depend on the Clipboard Indicator extension, which gives you quick access to your clipboard history and allows you to quickly re-copy any entry listed. This extension also allows you to quickly delete items from your clipboard and even search for items and star them so they remain even after you clear the history. You can also set the Clipboard Indicator to Private Mode so it’s not recording your clipboard history.

Just Perfection

By default, GNOME places your notifications right in the middle of the top bar. For some, that’s great, but when you use every bit of screen real estate and those center notifications tend to be a distraction from work, you might prefer to move them to another location. There used to be a single extension for that purpose, but unfortunately, the developer has abandoned the project.

You can, however, use the Just Perfection extension to achieve this same effect. Once installed, go to the Customize tab and scroll down until you see Notification Banner Position, and select the location you want the notifications to appear. To alleviate any confusion, Top Start is on the far left of the top bar and Top End is on the far right of the top bar. You can also opt to place those notifications at the bottom of your window as well. It should also be noted that this extension does quite a bit more than just move your notification banner.

Dock From Dash

If you’re using stock GNOME, you might want to add a dock to make your workflow considerably more efficient. Once upon a time the extension for that was Dock To Dash. However, that extension is no longer compatible with several GNOME releases. In its place is Dock From Dash, which takes all of your Dash Favorites and creates a simple Dock with them, so you can quickly access your favorite apps and even quickly open the Activities Overview. This extension should be considered a must for anyone who wants to make the most out of the GNOME desktop environment.